We are currently pursuing two pieces of legislation. Download these two fact sheets, or scroll down to read more:

The New York State Climate and Community Protection Act

The Climate and Community Protection Act, described by Heather McGhee and Robert Reich in The Nation as “the most progressive climate-equity policy we’ve seen,” sets a path to the highest standard nationwide for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions – 100% of human-caused climate pollution eliminated by 2050 from all sectors.

The bill not only mandates an economy-wide shift to renewable energy, but also defines equity provisions which prioritize existing and future resources towards vulnerable, impacted, historically disadvantaged and front line communities, and establishes specific supports for workers.

The Facts

Before the CCPA

Our climate goals were only aspirational

Our most vulnerable communities were left behind

State actions could increase harmful climate pollution

Inconsistent labor practices at projects using state energy funds

New York developed, then ignored its own climate action plan

Our state’s economy continues to rely on dirty fossil fuels of the past

After the CCPA

Our climate commitments are enforceable and written in law

Resources are equitably reinvested in disadvantaged communities

State actions cannot stand in the way of our climate and equity objectives

Fair labor standards attach to projects receiving public funds

The state must have a plan and execute that plan to achieve specific benchmarks

Our state’s entire economy is free from fossil fuels by 2050

How does the CCPA help New Yorkers?

The CCPA eliminates fossil fuels from New York’s entire economy in the next 35 years, plain and simple. This is the sea change we need to avert the worst impacts of climate change and reap the benefits of the renewable energy revolution, especially in low-income and communities of color that face disproportionate hardships from polluted air, rising seas, and extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy.

— Aaron Mair, President, Sierra Club

Whether it’s coming out of smokestacks or tailpipes, fossil fuel combustion is a leading cause of the air pollution that makes New Yorkers sick. As nurses, we’re on the front lines of the epidemics of asthma and respiratory disease that disproportionately impact children, the elderly, and low-income communities across the state. Transitioning New York’s economy to 100% clean, renewable energy is critically important to the health of our patients and passage of CCPA will achieve that goal.

Frontline communities are making their voices heard with the New York State Climate and Community Protection Act. NY Renews is not just about the environment. It’s about health, it’s about jobs, and it’s about justice. We cannot allow disproportionate environmental burdens on the most disadvantaged communities to continue – and we have to protect vulnerable populations from increasingly frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change. This bill is our statewide coalition’s first big push toward creating an equitable renewable energy economy.

The NYS Climate and Community Protection Act is only the beginning of our legislative platform. We intend to fight for reforms that would generate new revenue to support workers and communities affected by the transition away from fossil fuels, and to invest in clean, renewable energy projects that will move us toward our climate goals while creating thousands of good jobs across the state.

A Just Transition, Paid for by a Fee on Pollution

Building on the Climate and Community Protection Act, NY Renews is currently developing another bold piece of legislation that would help fund the transition to a renewable energy economy by making polluters pay for the damage they’re doing to our climate and our communities.

The concept is simple: levy a gradually increasing fee on pollution that warms our climate and makes people sick. Then collect all that revenue, and invest it in a few key things:

In this way, putting a price on pollution that reflects its true societal costs would both send a signal to energy markets AND generate revenue to help drive a rapid but just transition to an equitable and sustainable economy.

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